Edmund j



E. J. VON HENKE.

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD or WEVLDING.

APPLICATION FILED ]AN.18,19I9.

Patented Sept. 1920.

umren ST ES/PATEN fol-" ics.

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To a l l Be it. known that I EDMUND 'voN HENKE, acitizen vof the ,United States, and

residing at 5. Northern, ayenue, New. York city, New York, and whosepost-ofiice ,ad-

dress is thesame, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatusfor and Methods pr WVelding, of which fola {L lOWlIlg 3, specifi ati w I method a of: welding, MyQinventiOn is di rected particularly to welding whichaL' ternatingfcurrent is fused.

One of. ob ects1s*to produce a transformer which may be-soldata lowprlce and one With -which the welding operation may be carried out with minimum annoy ance and with maximum efliciiency In the, usual methods of welding with al ternating current, considerable (amount of, reactanceis placed in the circuit, either a separate reactance or-by reason on special design'ofthe transformer. This reactan'ce;

is vprovided for two reasons: first,to limit vit is this expense that overcome with my invention as hereinafter eXpla nedf-I drawlngs formlng matically apparatus embodying my inven the flow of current, and second,"to provide a higher starting 7 voltage than is, normally necessary for thearc. The result of the use ofthis high reactance' ijs afl very poor power 7 factorwhen the secondary ciirren't istvaried from fullsto lightload f. The: necessity for l suchla-proyision as 'thatabofve set forth entails a considerable amount of expense, and

' y In the accompanying a partof thespecificationis showndiagramtion. I e I The apparatus comprises transformer A and .an. auxillary transformer Both of these transformers are connected to the main sourcecomprising:lines 1 and 2. I

The secondary thetransformer 1A has taps 3 and lfor iyingvaryingjvoltages.

These taps"areibroughtout to terminals 5 and ate which fare adapted to be connected arms 7 and 8.;.-One"of thesecontact'arms,

as forinstance ,7, ,is connected; to the work 9 bywire 10, and the other, as'f for instance 8, is connectedto the electrode 11 by" wire 12. By bringing the arms7-and8 into contact with-the proper terminal 5 010,6, voltage of the secondary is varied, Y The transformer B is connected across the main line 1-2 by conductors 13 and 14.

The secondary 15 of this transformer has My invention relates toapparatus connected across it a liilllkjgapz and series with it is connected a condenser .17. Thesecondary 1S placed 1n inductive relation to a coil 18 In serieswith the coil l8is a condenser 19, and the terminals ofthe coil Specificationof Letters Patent. 'Pate'nted s t 1920;- Application filedJanuary 18,1.l 1 9. Serial No. 27 1, 910. A

18am connected in multiple with the con- 1 tact arms?v and 8 at 20 and 21. Beingcon- ,nected at. 20 and 21 likewise places this coil 18 in parallelwith the arcppoint'22fl The parts are-so designed thetransforrner B i a that thevoltage of the line 1]2 stepped upiand by reasOnofthe actionjof the spark gap 16 and condenser'17 very much higher frequency ,voltage is, induced in the coil 18 than exists inthe main line or in the trans former-A- or its secondary, which supplies the are. This causes a relatively high volt i agehigh frequency current ofithe coil 18 by reason of its connection acrossrthe arc j point 22. The transformer Bissodesjigned asto have relatively small power but is coni stantly connected across the line and across the arc point so as to produce orstrike the main heating arc which is then supplied former. A. The condenser. 19, among'other th1ngs,.prevents current flowing from the '80 I with power from thesecondary of thetrlanswires 10 and 12 into the circuitof. the coil 18 for the reason that the frequency or the current in'the circuit 10f12 is not'sufiicient to permit it .to 'passtlirough the, condenser whereas current induced in the coil .18 is such that it will readily pass through the condenser 19.

i v From the foregoing, it will be seen that l have. provided an appara't'u's or" system in e whlch nolarge amount of'separate react ance is necessary nor in which it is necessary to provide alarge amount of internal leactance in the transformer A beyondthe amount necessary to stabilize the arc.

I The liigh fr'equency high voltage current i for starting thearc may be produced by any suitable arrangement, 'v either from' the same source shownor from a'separate source, or by any of the well known means for profor the purposes of illustration but I ain by voltage and lowfrequency, and by reason ,ducing'currentlof the abovecharacter. The arrangement which I haveshowniis merely no 'means tobe limited to the exact arrange Y ment shown. e 4 c From the foregoing, it will beiseen that by means ofthetransformer A a large volume of weldingcurrent is available at low .a high frequency high voltage current is provided and permanently connected across the arc point for the purpose of establishing and sustaining the arc, it. being the fact that in welding operations the arc constantly tends 'to extinguish. By m rangement the arc is reestablished from a high voltage source of little power thereby avoiding a large rush of current; and this high voltage is constantly available and therefore acts to instantaneously reestablish-the are without in any way depending upon some automatic apparatus to open or closethe circuit. By this arrangement the least possible annoyance is experiencedand the maximum is obtained because of the possibility of avoiding the high reactance 1 in the main transformer or its circuit which 7 for the welding arc, andan auxiliary source for startingfthe are permanently connected in parallel with the are and of higher frequency than the main source.

7 2. In welding apparatus, a main source for the weldingarc, an auxiliary source for starting the are permanently connected in parallel with the arc andof higher frequency than the main source, and means preventing leakage of power from the main circuit to. the auxiliarycircuit.

'3. In. apparatus for alternating current welding, a main transformer for welding power, an auxiliary transformer for starting the welding arc, means permanently connected to the welding electrodes for increasing the frequency of the current of the auxiliary transformer and means preventing the flow'of current from the main transformer to the auxiliary transformer.

,4. In alternating current welding apparatus, means for supplying a large low voltage low frequency current for the welding arc and means for continuously supplying a small high voltage high frequency current for maintaining the are. 7 V

5. In alternating current welding apparatus, means for supplying a large low voltage low .fre uency current for the weldingarc,

means or continuously supplying a small high voltage high frequency current for maintaining the arc and means preventing the welding current passing into the high frequency circuit.

6. In welding apparatus, a transformer having a low voltage secondary for supply ing the welding arc, an auxiliar source of high frequency and relatively high voltage permanently connected across the arc point transformer connected to the same source as said main transformer, means in the secondary of said auxiliary transformer for increasing the frequency of its output, a high voltage winding connected across the arc point and in inductive relation to the auxiliary transformer, and a condenser in series with the winding.

8. In welding apparatus, a main transformer having a low voltage secondary for supplying the welding arc, an, auxiliary transformer connected to the same source as said main transformer, means in the secondary of said auxiliary transformer for increasing the frequency of its output, and a high voltage winding connected across the arc point'and in inductive relation to the auxiliary transformer.- i

9. In welding apparatus, a main transformer for supplying the welding" arc, an auxiliary transformer for constantly supplyng a high voltage across the arc point and a condenser in the high voltage circuit.

10. In welding apparatus, a maintransformer for supplying the Welding arc, and an auxiliary transformer for constantly supplying av high voltage across the arc point.

11'. The method of maintaining a welding are which consists in applying constantly a high frequency relatively high voltage current to strike the are and a low frequency relatively low voltage current for sustaining the arc.

12. The method of-maintaining a welding arcwhi'ch consists in constantly supplying a high voltage current of small volume to the arc point and constantly supplying a low voltage low frequency current of large volume to the arcpoint to produce the weld.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

' EDMUND J. VON HENKE. 

